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Our Human
Family
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Goodwill is man's first attempt to express the love of God. Its results on earth will be peace. It is so simple and practical that people fail to appreciate its potency or its scientific and dynamic effect. One person sincerely
practicing goodwill in a family can completely change its attitudes. Goodwill really
practiced among groups in any nation, by political and religious parties in any nation and among the nations of the world can revolutionize the world.
A.A.Bailey
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Kosovo
From the Thank You
Image Gallery http://thankyou.fast-networks.net/
INTRODUCTION:
Since
humans first appeared on this planet we have been in conflict with
one another. Brother against brother, neighbor against neighbor,
tribe against tribe, nation against nation. The need for revenge and
retaliation against a real or perceived wrong seems built into our
very cells. When we are hurt or feel vulnerable or powerless through
the actions of another, the vast majority of us, if we are deeply honest with
ourselves, will experience a desire for some form of retaliation. This
can take such subtle forms that we may convince ourselves that we
are above this type of gut level response to fear and anger. This is
as true at the family level as it is at the international level. But
we know that retaliation breeds only more retaliation. It solves
nothing. We know this. We have learned ways to resolve our
conflicts. We have all the tools we need to build a bridge to a
peaceful, just, sustainable world. We know how to do this. Now we
only need the will to "make it so". Making it so will be
no easy task, granted. It will involve consciously
committing to do whatever is necessary to see that the imbalances
and injustices are made right. That will take all of us speaking
out, demanding that the needed changes be made to our systems that
will bring back equity and balance and a sane use of our planets
resources. And working to make those changes in ourselves, perhaps
sacrificing some of our comforts and conveniences so that there is
enough for us all. We must transform ourselves into the things
we are demanding of each other and our governments and
corporations.
There
is a great upwelling of voices around the planet calling for an end
to the cycle of violence - toward one another and toward the
planet. Together we can do anything.
The key to humanity's trouble ... has been to take and not give, to accept and not share,
to grasp and not to distribute...
Problems of
Humanity - A.A. Bailey
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"Lasting peace requires more than
intervention of the Blue Helmets on the ground. Effective peacekeeping demands a
broader notion of human security. We cannot be secure amidst starvation, we
cannot build peace without alleviating poverty, we cannot build freedom on
foundations of injustice."
Kofi Annan
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The family bears a profound dignity both in
itself and as an icon for humanity.
Family rights and responsibilities are not
only religious matters, but have to do with the common good of the human family.
No matter what the circumstances are, whether they be flourishing or tragic,
everyone comes from a family and everyone belongs to a family. From generation
to generation, the future of humanity indeed passes by way of the family. (cf. FC
86)
Peace, like
charity, begins at home.
Franklin
D. Roosevelt
On December 10, 1948 the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted and
proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights the full text of which
appears in these
pages.
"Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and
inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of
freedom, justice and peace in the world..."
http://www.familydiv.org/
FAMILY PHOTOS
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THE ONENESS OF THE HUMAN FAMILY
Baha'i: "Blessed is he who preferreth his brother before
himself."
-- Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, 71
Buddhism: "Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find
hurtful."
-- Udana-Varga, 5:18
Christianity: "All things whatsoever ye would that men should do
to you, do ye even so to them."
-- Jesus, in Matthew 7:12
Confucianism: "Do not unto others what you would not have them do
unto you."
-- Analects 15:23
Hinduism: "This is the sum of duty: do naught unto others which
would cause you pain if done to you."
-- Mahabharata 5:1517
Islam: "No one of you is a believer until he desires for his
brother that which he desires for himself."
-- Sunnah
Jainism: "In happiness and suffering, in joy and grief, we should
regard all creatures as we regard our own self."
-- Lord Mahavira, 24th Tirthankara
Judaism: "What is hateful to you, do not to your fellow man. That
is the law: all the rest is commentary."
-- Talmud, Shabbat 31a
Native American: "Respect for all life is the foundation."
-- The Great Law of Peace
Sikhism: "Don't create enmity with anyone as God is within
everyone."
-- Guru Arjan Devji 259, Guru Granth Sahib
Zoroastrianism: "That nature only is good when it shall not do
unto another whatever is not good for its own self."
-- Dadistan-i-Dinik, 94:5
Compiled by the Temple of
Understanding, a global interfaith organization
http://www.silcom.com/~origin/sbcr/sbcr233
 The New Group of World Servers is not a new organization which is forming in the world. It is simply a loose linking together of all men of constructive peace aims and goodwill who lay the emphasis upon the prior need of establishing right human relations before any lasting peace is possible. This group in no way interferes with the allegiance and loyalties of any man. It is a banding together of all who seek to express the spirit of Christ and who are free from the spirit of hatred and revenge. The challenge of this group to the world is to drop all antagonisms and antipathies, all hatred and racial differences, and attempt to live in terms of the one family, the one life, and the one humanity.
A.A.Bailey
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"Peace cannot
be kept by force,
it can only
be achieved by understanding"
Albert Einstein
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Statement
from the Giraffe Heroes Project
In the long years of the Giraffe Heroes Project, the
Project has never
taken a position on an issue-we've even published stories about
people
sticking their necks out on opposing sides of the same issue.
The only
thing that has mattered is that they must be acting with courage
and
compassion, for the common good. That's been our way of doing
our job.
But now, everything has changed. We are looking anew at
everything we do
here, weighing its significance for these deeply challenging
times. And as
our government considers the actions it will take in the name of
the
American people, we offer these words from the Project's
Executive
Director, a former US diplomat.
-Ann Medlock, President, The Giraffe Heroes Project
Policies as Good as Our People
by
John Graham
How can anyone be that angry at us, the good people of America?
We hear repeatedly that our attackers were just crazed fanatics,
lashing
out at America because they hate our freedoms and envy our
success. That
makes our response simple-"Us" against
"Them"-a confrontation in which
American strength and resolve will sooner or later destroy those
who
attacked us. But it's not that simple. The U.S. will not defeat
terrorism
unless and until we understand these new, elusive enemies and
the reasons
so many people support them.
Terrorist cells cannot exist without many people who shelter
them, give
them information, resources and recruits, or just cheer them on.
It won't
be enough just to hunt down the terrorists; as long as their
support
network exists, others will take their places. To end the
attacks, our
government needs to eliminate the basis for that support.
I have some practical experience in the Third World that can be
useful. I
offer it as a patriot who has repeatedly faced danger for his
country,
including revolutionary mobs in Libya, bullets and car bombs in
Vietnam,
and hit-men in Havana.
Click here
to read the rest of this article in a printable form.
John Graham
Executive Director
The Giraffe Heroes Project
http://www.giraffe.org
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http://www.familydiv.org/
FAMILY PHOTOS
"During the cold war, peace and security tended to
be defined simply in terms of military might or the balance of terror. Today, we
have a greater appreciation for the non-military sources of conflict. We know
that lasting peace requires a broader vision, encompassing education and
literacy, health and nutrition, human rights and fundamental freedoms. We know
that we cannot be secure amidst starvation. We cannot build peace without
alleviating poverty. We cannot build freedom on foundations of injustice."
Kofi Annan
-- Address at the Chicago World Trade Center,
20 October 1997
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Letter
from Linda Garrett
Dear
Friends,
A
deep wound has been inflicted upon the body of humanity.
Now over a week old, it still bleeds with sadness, anger and
fear. Real healing is needed, which can only be invoked by the clear
thinking and massed intent of the people of all nations.
As the rescue workers continue to cut through the rubble in New York
and Washington, so too must we cut through the overpowering emotion and
reactionary thinking that has characterized the last week or so in order to
see clearly the challenges that humanity now faces. Amid the many
issues that permeate this tragedy, there are three that bear mentioning over
and over again until this crisis is resolved.
First
and foremost, this is a human tragedy, not just an American one.
While America took the hardest blow, people from around the globe
were struck down, apparently by a multinational group of zealots.
The underlying issues that motivated these horrendous acts are not
simply Middle Eastern or American, but are deep problems of worldwide
concern. We must therefore respond as the one humanity we truly are.
To
read the rest of this article in a printable form CLICK
HERE.
With
Love and Goodwill,
Linda
Garrett
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* When I talk of the United
Nations, I am not talking only of the staff and those of us in this building. I
am talking of the United Nations of "We the Peoples". When we pull
together from across the world and work together to solve a problem, we almost
always can do it. On these crises, when the world comes together, things happen.
Together we are the ultimate power. If we pull our efforts together, we can get
almost everything done -- all of us around the world -- "We the
Peoples".
Kofi Annan
-- Remarks upon return to UN Headquarters
following mission to Iraq, 24 February 1998
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"We live in a world where
insecurity and suffering is spreading at breathtaking speed - quickened by
an upsurge in armed conflict that has already left 2 million children dead
and 6 million wounded in the last decade alone," said UNICEF
Executive Director Carol Bellamy. "But
in these trying times, let us never forget that in every child who is
born, the potentiality of the human race is born again."
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http://www.familydiv.org/
FAMILY PHOTOS
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A.A.Bailey
from Externalization of the
Hierarchy
What can be done at the present moment to arrest defeat and the overwhelming of the Forces of Light? Here I refer not to the outer physical victory. True victory will not be indicated unless the higher values which should govern human
civilization emerge with clarity and power.... I would ask you, therefore, to participate in the subjective
focusing and rallying of the world thinkers, and particularly the heads of organizations, groups and churches of all kinds and temperaments who can swing their many adherents into a uniform and united activity.
...I challenge all workers and all members of the New Group of World Servers to leave their personal problems behind. This is a time of crisis and such problems must be solved through complete self-forgetfulness. I ask you to work anew with fresh
ardor in joyful service, forgetting past weaknesses and failures in the urgency of that which I ask all to do for the world.
To read the rest of this exerpt
from the A.A.Bailey work click
here.
To those of you who can appreciate and use the Great
Invocation, I would suggest its renewed and earnest use.
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http://www.familydiv.org/
FAMILY PHOTOS
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Letter from Jean Houston
September
18th 2001
Dear Friends,
We are all New Yorkers. That is the gist
of the message that I have been receiving from the thousands of e-mails,
countless phone calls and faxes, and communications from people writing or
calling me from over 30 countries. The outpouring of love, of service, and
even of life itself is the miracle of humanity surpassing itself. All over
this country and throughout the world people are affirming their unity
with us, and more, the unity of all people. This tragedy brings us
together in shadow and in light, for richer and for poor, in sickness and
in health for as long as we all shall live. The desecration that occurred
is also the announcement of a potential global union.
I have often spoken of how technology and
the Internet gave us the world mind taking a walk with itself. But in the
light of the events of September 11th, we now must speak of the world
heart, the world stomach, the world spirit. America is not longer
insulated from the pathos of other nations.
To read the rest of this
article click
here.
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Jean Houston, Ph.D., is a scholar and
researcher in human capacities, and for the past 30 years has co-directed,
with her husband Dr. Robert Masters, the Foundation for Mind Research,
first in New York City and now in Pomona, New York. Their work has focused
on the understanding of latent human abilities. She is the founded of the
Mystery School--a program of cross-cultural mythic and spiritual studies
dedicated to teaching history, philosophy, the new physics, psychology,
anthropology, myth, and the many dimensions of our human potential. Dr.
Houston was the protégé of the late anthropologist Margaret Mead, who
instructed her in the workings of organizations and power structures in
many different cultures. With the late mythologist Joseph Campbell, Jean
Houston frequently co-led seminars and workshops aimed at understanding
interrelationships between ancient myths and modern societies.
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From the Thank You Image
Gallery
http://thankyou.fast-networks.net/
U.S. Embassy, Helsinki,
Finland
"An eye for
an eye only leads to more blindness"
Margaret Atwood
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A WORLD OUT OF TOUCH WITH ITSELF: Where the
Violence Comes From
by Rabbi Michael Lerner
Editor, TIKKUN Magazine
There is never any justification for acts
of terror against innocent civilians--it is the quintessential act of
dehumanization and not recognizing the sanctity of others. The violence
being directed against Americans today, like the violence being directed
against Israeli civilians by Palestinian terrorists, or the violence being
directed against Palestinian civilians by the Israeli army occupying the
West Bank and Gaza, seem to point to a world increasingly irrational and out
of control.
It's understandable why many of us will
feel anger. Demagogues will try to direct that anger at various "target
groups" (Muslims are in particular danger, though Yassir Arafat and
other Islamic leaders have unequivocally denounced these terrorist acts).
The militarists will use this as a moment to call for increased defense
spending at the expense of the needy. Right wing may even seek to limit
civil liberties. President Bush will feel pressure to look
"decisive" and take "strong" action--phrases that can be
manipulated toward irrational responses to an irrational attack.
To counter that potential of mass panic, or the manipulation of our fear and
anger for narrow political ends, a well-meaning media will instead try to
narrow our focus solely on the task of finding and punishing the
perpetrators. These people, of course, should be caught and punished.
But in some ways this exclusive focus allows us to avoid dealing with the
underlying issues. When violence becomes so prevalent throughout the planet,
it's too easy to simply talk of "deranged minds." We need to ask
ourselves, "What is it in the way that we are living, organizing our
societies, and treating each other that makes violence seem plausible to so
many people?"
To read the rest of this
article click
here.
[Rabbi Lerner first came to national
attention when the Clinton White House began to quote his writings in TIKKUN
magazine and he was described by the Washington Post and Wall Street Journal
as "the guru of the White House" and by the New York Times (which
did a five page feature article in its Sunday Magazine on him) as a prophet.
He was designated "One of America's 100 Visionaries" by the Utne
Reader, and in May received an award from the writer's organization PEN for
his outstanding courage in being willing to criticize Israeli policy toward
Palestinians (while still critiquing acts of Palestinian terror against
Israeli civilians).
RabbiLerner@tikkun.org
www.Tikkun.org
510-526 6889 or 415 575 1200
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Japanese
American family, circa World War 2
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